🚧 Roundtable Host Briefing

General Facts on the concept of the expert-led roundtables at the CIO AI Summit:

💡 Roundtable booking opens on 18 September 2025. Reservations follow a first-come, first-served principle. Both hosts and participants can see who has booked which roundtable and at what time.

<aside> <img src="/icons/music-artist_gray.svg" alt="/icons/music-artist_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Empowering meaningful conversations and in-depth discussions between CIOs and AI Leaders

Roundtable Format & Participants

During the CIO AI Summit, there will be 2 Expert Roundtable Sessions scheduled one after the other in the afternoon.

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Hosts:

1 seat is reserved for the Roundtable Host, provided by you as our Partner.
We strongly recommend that you bring a CIO as your co-host to increase the relevance and attractiveness of your table. The CIO's name and title should be explicitly mentioned in the roundtable title. The CIO as guest expert will be provided with a ticket by us.

Audience:

Top CIOs, CDOs, and AI leaders

Number of attendees:

Each roundtable brings together 10 participants in total – allowing to exchange perspectives and to gain clarity on the AI roadmap.

Language of all sessions:

English only

Duration:

45 min each roundtable session

Time:

The exact agenda of the expert roundtables will be shared with you in advance.

Topic

Your table topic must be directly relevant to CIOs.
No marketing jargon. No sales pitch. Just a crisp, real-world topic that CIOs want to discuss.
The title must be clear, sharp and self-explanatory – CIOs should understand immediately why this topic is worth 45 minutes of their time.

Your Role as Roundtable Host

As the host, you own the content, the energy, and the direction of your table. You’ll be leading a focused, high-level discussion between CIOs and AI leaders. Your job is to make the conversation relevant, challenging, and inspiring.

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This means:

You set the stage with a clear topic and purpose of the roundtable discussion.
You guide the conversation with structure and intent focused on actionable insights and real impact.
You create value by ensuring every attendee leaves with practical takeaways e.g. through best practices, success stories or lessons learned.
You bring a discussion guide or script to steer the session.
You stay flexible – but focused – to keep the energy high and the conversation relevant.

Suggested structure

Welcome – Explain the topic, goal and set expectations (1 minutes)
Intro round (max. 5 minutes)

– Each participant briefly introduces themselves (name, role, company).
Kick-Off with a real-world example, strong story or case study (5 minutes)
Guided discussion (30 minutes)

– Start with 1–2 powerful key questions, insights or thoughts.

– Encourage open contributions.

– Manage time, keep it interactive.
Closing (final minutes)

– Encourage participants to connect via LinkedIn (works well, every time).

– Wrap up with one key takeaway from each participant (optional).

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Checklist:

<aside> <img src="/icons/new-document_gray.svg" alt="/icons/new-document_gray.svg" width="40px" /> To be well prepared for your roundtable, please make sure to follow this checklist

First Step:

[ ] Kickoff Call with the curator of the CIO AI Summit Niels Doerje

Define concept of your roundtable - in coordination with the curator Niels Doerje:

[ ] Define a clear topic and purpose of the roundtable.
[ ] Define a crisp title – include the name of your CIO co-host.
[ ] Prepare a clear structure for the session (intro, guiding questions, wrap-up).
[ ] Define the expert guest co-hosting the roundtable (if applicable).

Deadline: 22 August 2025

Fill in the information forms for announcements:

[ ] Roundtable Host: Fill in this form
[ ] Attending Expert: Fill in this form
[ ] Roundtable Description: Fill in this form

Deadline: 5 September 2025

Organizational To-Dos:

[ ] Ticketing: In general, each speaker needs a ticket, which has to be provided by you. Please make sure, that speakers chose the corresponding ticket category from your contingent. The CIO as guest expert will be provided with a ticket by us.
[ ] Responsibilities: Set a person, who is in charge for the organization of the roundtable and responsible on-site. This may differ from the roundtable host.
[ ] Briefing of the Co-Host: Make sure your co-host (if applicable) is aligned and briefed.
[ ] Moderation Details: Ensure the session is interactive, open and enjoyable.

Deadline: Please take care of this as soon as possible, but no later than 26 September 2025

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Example of how a roundtable can look like:

Example:

Title: Beyond the Buzz: Real-World AI in Supply Chains
Abstract: Everyone’s talking GenAI – but what’s actually working in daily operations? This roundtable dives into real-world use cases in procurement, production, and logistics. What’s been built, what’s failed, and what’s delivering real value?
Kickoff Question: “Which of your AI initiatives got full CFO buy-in – and why?”
Host: Jane Doe
Co-Host: CIO of xy </aside>

Location:

<aside> <img src="/icons/directional-sign-right_gray.svg" alt="/icons/directional-sign-right_gray.svg" width="40px" /> The roundtables take place at a dedicated area within the exclusive CIO AI Summit Area (room 13b)

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Technical equipment & staff:

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<aside> <img src="/icons/music-artist_gray.svg" alt="/icons/music-artist_gray.svg" width="40px" /> The perfect team on-site:

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